It was called 'Reign of Champions' and those who claimed or retained that title did so in assertive fashion in front of a capacity crowd at the World Trade Centre in Dubai.

An atmosphere fuelled by a packed arena and three frenetic preliminary bouts provided the catalyst for spectacular performances from some of the leading names of Asia's ONE Fighting Championships.

However, there was no doubt about the individual who made a statement so loud and so definitive it will have made certain residents of Las Vegas wish they were hard of hearing.

The one-time Olympic Wrestler and Bellator welterweight champion, Ben Askren, explained the situation to the incumbent, Nobutatsu Suzuki, in very clear terms in the run-up to their fight. "Suzuki is going to bring me my belt....he can put it in the middle of the cage and give it to me, or I can take it the hard way."

In retrospect, Suzuki should have heeded the American's advice. Certainly, it wouldn't have made the matchup a great deal shorter, it would, however, have made it somewhat less embarrassing.

Suzuki's strategy was straightforward: keep the fight on the feet for as long as possible, and hope the American challenger tires in the desert heat. It took less than two seconds for 'Funky' to put the champion on his back, and only one minute and twenty four seconds for the refereee to call a stop to the onslaught.

In fact, it should have ended a full minute sooner, as Suzuki cowered pitiably against the cage for all of that time absorbing unanswered shots, and providing not the tiniest sliver of the fight becoming of a champion. There have been few more dominant displays.

The problem now for ONE FC is finding a credible challenger for Askren, while Dana White will have to endure endless queries about his failure to snap up the new title holder at the end of his Bellator run.

Elsewhere, grappling wizard Shinya Aoki was almost as dominant as his Evolve MMA counterpart as he made swift work of UFC and WEC veteran, Kamal Shalorus. Despite being an Iranian wrestling champion, Shalorus was soon on the floor with his back against the cage.

Two seamless transitions later, the champion had his back and secured a rear naked choke that seemed inevitable from the moment the bell rang.

Shining: Aoki was again a star performer in Dubai (Photo: Ben Szwediuk)

The most intruiging bout of the night was the featherweight title match-up between two veterans in Koji Oishi and Jadamba Naratungalag. Oishi, with infinitely more MMA experience, was many people's favourite, but the Mongolian imposed himself from the first minute, forcing the champion back, landing several hard strikes, and even scoring a couple of high-crotch takedowns on the more experienced grappler. Oishi looked dejected at the final bell, but Jadamba's decision victory was thoroughly deserved.

Elsewhere there was mixed form for the Brits where James McSweeney looked particularly impressive and confident, taking only three firm strikes to finish jiu jitsu blackbelt, Kaminishi.

The third, being a particularly devastating headkick on the floor which had the ref waving the Englishman away in the first round. Elsewhere, the challenge of Christian Holley was thwarted by Roger Huerta, whose nasty ground and pound gave him a much needed win, but Holley did well enough in parts to suggest he may deserve another chance in the ONE FC cage.

The night, however, like the belt, belonged to Askren. And it seems as though it will just as long as he wants it.